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We help organizations improve their buildings' energy performance. 


Since 1990 Sieben Energy Associates has helped our local, regional, and national clients improve their buildings, grow their bottom line, and achieve their sustainability goals. We optimize energy-consuming systems and practices to reduce operating costs while enhancing comfort and productivity. With our guidance, clients use energy more efficiently and manage energy more effectively. Our team focuses on what matters most to each client; we design engagements to achieve our clients' discrete objectives. 

 
  • Retro-Commissioning
  • Energy Management
  • Monitoring-Based Commissioning
  • Energy Audits and Assessments

  • Retro-Commissioning

    Thirty-Six-Story Downtown Office Tower

    Sieben Energy Associates worked with management and the chief engineer of a multi-tenant office tower to maximize ROI from their upgraded building automation system (BAS). The energy-saving measures identified and implemented through retro-commissioning achieved immediate simple payback. Our entire project reduced annual energy use by 20% and cost by $150,000.

    Project details

  • Energy Management

    Nationally Recognized Pediatric Healthcare Provider

    Sieben Energy Associates provided comprehensive energy management consulting for a healthcare provider’s entire enterprise. We identified a variety of supply-side and demand-side cost management opportunities. After two years, the partnership had yielded improved budget performance, more efficient operations, better cross-collaboration, and smarter risk management.

    Project details

  • Monitoring-Based Commissioning

    1980s-Vintage Multi-Tenant Office Building

    Sieben Energy Associates helped management of a modern skyscraper improve the energy efficiency of their already well-performing building. Leveraging powerful data analytics through monitoring-based commissioning, we uncovered low-cost opportunities to optimize their HVAC system. Total electricity savings approached 2 million kilowatt-hours per year, double the original goal.

    Project details

  • Energy Audits and Assessments

    Multi-State, Multi-Family Residential REIT

    Sieben Energy Associates performed energy audits for a national residential REIT, finding opportunities to reduce energy use by more than 10%, saving $10 million annually. The individual measures and overarching strategy provided senior management with a plan for achieving significant cost savings and sustaining strong energy performance well into the future.

    Project details

  • Retro-Commissioning
  • Energy Management
  • Monitoring-Based Commissioning
  • Energy Audits and Assessments

  • Retro-Commissioning

    Suburban Acute Care Hospital

    Sieben Energy Associates assisted the owner of a large medical center with participation in the local utility’s retro-commissioning incentive program. Under pressure to reduce expenses without investing much capital, we focused on low-cost opportunities to save energy during heating and cooling seasons. The owner enjoyed better financial performance after a six-month simple payback.

    Project details

  • Energy Management

    Consortium of Twelve Colleges and Universities

    Sieben Energy Associates consulted on electricity purchasing for a group of colleges and universities. We evaluated supplier RFP responses, recommended a buying strategy, and helped our client secure consecutive supply contracts worth a combined $25 million. By carefully timing both transactions, we helped the consortium avoid potentially millions of dollars in additional expense due to increasing power prices.

    Project details

  • Monitoring-Based Commissioning

    All-Electric Multi-Tenant Mixed Use Complex

    Sieben Energy Associates guided management of a 2-million-square-foot mixed use complex through a monitoring-based commissioning program. By implementing four low-cost measures that we identified, we helped saved more than one million kilowatt-hours annually. In just two years, management has nearly achieved the building owner’s commitment to a 20% energy use reduction over five years.

    Project details

  • Energy Audits and Assessments

    Multi-Facility Regional Food Manufacturer

    Sieben Energy Associates evaluated no-cost/low-cost and capital investment energy-saving opportunities for a food manufacturer’s entire portfolio. After analyzing energy use by process, HVAC, and lighting loads at each site, we presented leadership with a plan for reducing energy cost by 8%, or $400,000, with a simple payback of 5 months—all without impairing production.

    Project details

  • I expected quality work when I partnered with Sieben Energy Associates on a recent retro-commissioning project. My high expectations were greatly exceeded as they provided a level of service and expertise that I have not encountered in the industry. Their work pushed our project to exceed our goals by more than 100%.

    -Matt Roman, Director of Global Real Estate and Facilities, Visteon Corporation

  • Sieben Energy Associates provided tremendous insights, strategic guidance, and technically rigorous analysis that helped propel McDonald's energy program for over two decades. What endeared me to the company was their very committed, passionate staff comprised of very talented, caring individuals.

    -Bob Langert, Vice President of Sustainability (Retired), McDonald’s Corporation

  • Sieben Energy Associates has demonstrated a high degree of professionalism in conducting their work and in delivering the final product to Cushman & Wakefield.  I complement their team for delivering high-quality, actionable recommendations that will lead to real dollars saved for our clients.

    -Mike Alexander, Senior Project Manager, Sustainability, Cushman & Wakefield

  • I have very much enjoyed collaborating with Sieben Energy Associates on planning and executing retro-commissioning projects across JLL’s Midwest portfolio. Their team consistently out performs, attending to the smallest details without losing sight of our overarching goals. With the help of Sieben Energy Associates, JLL is taking a strategic, cost-effective approach to reducing operating costs for our clients and making the buildings we manage more energy-efficient. We are committed to sustainability and it has been a wonderful experience partnering with a company that shares that commitment.

    -Jennifer Christakes, Managing Director, Regional Operations Manager, JLL

  • If you answer ‘no’ to one or more of these six questions, talk to us.

    You’re probably spending too much for energy.



    Do you manage effectively all the risks associated with your facilities’ energy use and cost?
    Do you benchmark your facilities’ energy performance to ensure they are competitive?
    Have your facilities undergone comprehensive energy audits within the past three years?
    Are you capturing your fair share of utility incentives to underwrite project costs?
    Are you realizing the return-on-investment you expected from previous energy upgrades?
    Are you setting and consistently achieving enterprise-wide energy performance goals?


    Contact us

Recent News from Sieben Energy Associates

Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and Energy Efficiency
In a March 22nd article in The New York Times, three science writers—Mike McPhate, Derek Watkins, and Jim Wilson—described how this winter's accumulated snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range may prove to be an antidote to the state's ...
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The Best (and Worst) Retro-Commissioning Practices
On the afternoon of February 15, I led a presentation in front of 40 members of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA Chicago) about best (and worst) practices relative to successful retro-commissioning projects. First,...
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What Makes a Successful Retro-Commissioning Project?
We will host a brown bag lunch seminar entitled "What Makes a Successful Retro-Commissioning Project" later this month. The seminar will commence at 12 noon on Wednesday, February 15, in the Harris Bank Building, 115 South LaSalle Street, Chicag...
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